CFB Weekly Picks: Week 9
This week is a great one for daily college fantasy football. There are only a couple games with O/U’s above 70, the pricing is solid on all the sites, and there are not very many injuries to speak of. With all of these factors in place, it just becomes who can construct the best lineup, not who can take advantage of the inefficiencies. This week more than any other so far this year you are going to need to look at defensive rankings when choosing which players to roster.
After sorting out all the factors I mentioned above, here are some of the plays I think will pay off this week.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott (Mississippi St) E – I am not going out on much of a limb with this pick. He is the best fantasy QB in the college game this year, and yes that includes Marcus Mariota. Prescott won’t come cheap, but he is the safest play there is and also the one with the most upside. He puts up rushing numbers equal to a good RB and passing numbers equal to the average QB. When you add those two stat lines together, you end up with 30+ points each and every week. He is so good he averages 35 points a game versus good defensive teams and will put up 40 a game versus bad defenses. Kentucky ranks right in the middle, so I am guessing upper 30s for points this week. I don’t care how much I have to spend if I can get close to 40 points from a player.
Connor Halliday (Washington St) L – Halliday is playing in one of the few games this week with an O/U above the 70-point mark. Halliday has had over 60 pass attempts in each of the last four games and is averaging four TDs per game during that span as well. I see this game against Arizona being a back and forth affair and think the total is going to hit the over in this one. The Cougars usually don’t even try to get a running game going, so most if not all the points should come from the passing game. I would be surprised if Halliday doesn’t get 400 yards and four TDs, but the upside is much greater than that.
Trevone Boykin (TCU) E – Boykin has been getting overlooked by fantasy players all year. I have been playing him almost every week and I am finally starting to notice his ownership percentage go up. I think this week will be the highest ownership it has been all year with the performance he put up last week, but it still won’t be where is should be. Boykin is one of the better dual-threat QBs in the country, which always help put up those big games. I don’t think Texas Tech will put up much of a challenge for the TCU offense in this one. I am thinking a nice all-around performance from Boykin that will get you around 30 points. Boykin is mainly a FanDuel play, as he is priced too low on that site.
Other Options: Anu Solomon (Arizona), Brett Hundley (UCLA), JT Barrett (Ohio St), Marquise Williams (North Carolina)
Running Back
Melvin Gordon is the best RB in the country and the best play every week. Play him if he fits into your roster. I just feel this week I wanted to spend on QB, so I couldn’t fit him into my lineups.
David Cobb (Minnesota) E – Cobb has quietly already rushed for over 1000 yards, ranking fourth in the country. The best part of Cobb is the Minnesota offense is awful other than him, so he will get 30 carries a game. The Gophers however are still undefeated in Big Ten play and get to face a week defensive Illinois squad this week. This game features a 57-point O/U, and for a Minnesota game, that is a really big number. That is telling me Vegas is expecting big things from Cobb this week. I am thinking the same way and think 150 yards and a TD are his floor. I am expecting around 200 yards and multiple scores from Cobb this week.
James Conner (Pitt) E – Conner started the year on fire. He has cooled off a little lately, but he has also faced a couple of pretty good defenses along the way. This week he gets to face Georgia Tech, and I think he gets back on track. His attempts have been down a little lately as well, but I think he will get around 25 carries again this week. Conner knows how to find the end zone and I think he will find it multiple times. He is just too cheap on DraftKings.
Devontae Booker (Utah) L – Booker is still a guy that most people don’t even know about. All he did last week was rush for 230 yards and three TDs, and that is on the heels of back to back 150+ yard games. Booker does get a tougher task this week facing a decent USC team, but with the number of touches he is getting, the stats will be there. He is averaging 30 carries, 185 yards, and two TDs a game since he has been given the starting nod in the Utah offense. Utah is only a one-point underdog against USC, so this game should be close. They will ride Booker as long as they can in this one.
Other Options: Josh Robinson (Mississippi St), Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech), Devon Johnson (Marshall), Wayne Gallman (Clemson)
Wide Receiver
Josh Doctson (TCU) E – Doctson was having a nice season and was a good cheap play each week to fill out your roster, and then he exploded last week. Hopefully you played him last week and turned a profit, because now his price has risen a little. I am just not finding myself able to spend on WRs this week, so I am targeting mid to low tier guys with upside and Doctson fits that bill. While you cannot expect what he did last week, I think you can expect around six catches for 100 yards and a TD. If you can average around 15 points a player at WR while spending on QB and RB, you are going to have a nice week. Doctson should get you somewhere around that 15 points.
River Cracraft (Washington St) L – I think the best way to target the game slates that feature this game is to pair Halliday with one of his WRs. The one I will be targeting the most is Cracraft. Cracraft is almost a lock to get eight catches for 100 yards and a TD every game. You know the Cougars will be throwing the ball a ton, so there will be plenty of opportunity for Cracraft to get his numbers. Not only is Cracraft one of the safest plays at WR due to the number of catches he gets, but he also has some of the most upside. I like the little price savings you get playing him over the other big name WRs this week.
Lucky Whitehead (Florida Atlantic) E – Whitehead is another one of those players that fits the mid-tier bill with upside this week that you need to target in order to get the studs at QB and RB. Whitehead has averaged eight catches for 90 yards and a TD over the last three games. Florida Atlantic plays Marshall this week, so they will probably be playing from behind and throwing the ball the whole second half. Whitehead brings a nice combination of upside along with stability that allows you to throw him into any type of game format.
Other Options: Antonio Vaughn (Old Dominion), Laquon Treadwell (Mississippi), Artavis Scott (Clemson), DaRon Brown (Northern Illinois)
Tight End
Connor Hamlett (Oregon St) E – Hamlett was supposed to be one of the best TEs in all of CFB this year. He hasn’t lived up to expectations and his price has came down with his performance. This week you will need to save salary at the TE position and Hamlett is a good cheap option.
Steven Walker (Colorado St) L – Walker is having a solid yet boring year. That is par for the course when it comes to the TE position in college football. Walker is cheap this week and hits double digit fantasy points half the time. I like to play cheap TEs and just hope they can find a way to get me eight points. Walker has as good of a chance as anybody of doing that.
Other Options: Hunter Henry (Arkansas), Maxx Williams (Minnesota)